50 Coolest NBA Pictures of 2011

With the NBA lockout ending and the start of a shortened season on Christmas Day, 2011 has been one of the strangest years in NBA history.

Despite having fewer games played than most other seasons, there were still a lot of amazing memories and unforgettable times.

The following pictures will show some of the best NBA moments of 2011.

While most of these depict something cool that happened on the court, some of them are not as good but show an important event that took place over the last year.

Every NBA team has at least one picture in here.

Photos are not ranked and are in no particular order.

A New Jersey

Of all of the jersey changes this season, this is the most interesting. It is going to take some time to get used to the new name of former NBA bad boy Ron Artest, now known as Metta World Peace.

Raising the Banner

The Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA title last season and raised this banner on Christmas Day.

Let the Games Begin

The NBA finally started on Christmas Day with several games tipping off the 66-game regular season.

Phil Says Goodbye

Former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson retired in 2011.

He is one of the greatest coaches in league history.

Triple Dunk

JaVale McGee throws down three basketballs at once during the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Retired Number

Deron Williams played 15 games for the Turkish team Besiktas during the lockout.

The team honored him by retiring his number just before he returned to the New Jersey Nets.

Fighting Mascot

Atlanta Hawks mascot Harry the Hawk is ready to take out the competition.

Two-Hander

A great two-handed rim-rocker from the Hawks during their playoff series with against the Chicago Bulls.

Rondo Sends Up a Prayer

Rajon Rondo throws up an off-balance shot during the Boston Celtics' playoff series against the Miami Heat.

Hammer Dunk

Gerald Henderson of the Charlotte Bobcats throws down a strong dunk as his teammates and the Chicago Bulls look on.

Staying Busy

Kevin Durant found something to do during the lockout when he joined the Texas Longhorn football broadcast.

Noah Can Pass Too

Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls can do it all, including throwing this solid pass to his teammate.

Youngest MVP

Derrick Rose became the youngest player ever named league MVP.

He led the Chicago Bulls to a great season and a long playoff run.

No. 1 Pick

With the first pick in the 2011 NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving from Duke University.

A Bold Prediction

Jason Terry got a tattoo of the NBA championship trophy on his bicep before the season even started.

It turned out to be a prediction, as he and the Dallas Mavericks took home the title last season.

The Birdman

Chris "The Birdman" Andersen is known for playing defense like this and flying around the rim.

Bynum Has Hops

Six-foot-tall Pistons guard Will Bynum showed off his jumping ability against the Miami Heat last season.

Warriors Win

Dorrell Wright celebrates as he helps the Golden State Warriors knock off the Indiana Pacers in January of this year.

One of a Kind

Dennis Rodman was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

As expected, he displayed his own unique style at the ceremony.

Scola for Two

Luis Scola scoops up a shot for two points against the Miami Heat in March 2011.

LeBron Stays Busy During the Lockout

LeBron James and several other NBA stars attended the USC vs. Oregon football game on November 19th.

They played around on the sideline as they waited for the lockout to end.

George Throws Down

Rookie Paul George finds the basket with an emphatic dunk against the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.

A New Start

This is a pretty boring picture, but it meant a lot to the league and NBA fans everywhere.

The two sides finally agreed to end the lockout and start playing basketball.

Dunk of the Year

Blake Griffin wins the NBA Slam Dunk Contest as he hops over a Kia. It is a dunk that will be remembered for many years.

An Unhappy Kobe

Kobe Bryant looks very unhappy in a January game against the Detroit Pistons in early January of 2011.

Teamwork

The Memphis Grizzlies used a team attack as they knocked the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs out of the playoffs in the first round.

Hanging Around

John Wall spends some extra time on the rim after a dunk during the Rookie Challenge.

Wade on the Dribble Drive

Dwyane Wade looks for the basket as he drives around the Bobcats on a very shiny floor.

Seeing Double

The Washington Wizards' JaVale McGee dunks on two hoops at the same time.

He would have won the dunk contest if Blake Griffin didn't jump over a Kia.

The Pile-Up

Milwaukee Bucks guard John Salmons waits for the ball to come out of the pile in a game against the Miami Heat.

All-Star Game

Dwyane Wade has a bit of fun during the 2011 All-Star Game.

Much Love for Kevin

Kevin Love was the most exciting player for the Timberwolves in 2011 and was one of the best in the league.

He broke out in a big way with his rebounding and scoring.

Emotions at the Draft

Is Kemba Walker crying because he is with David Stern or because he was drafted by the Bobcats?

I hope they are tears of joy for making it into the NBA.

The Reverse

New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez puts up a shot from the wrong side of the basket in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

A New Star

New Orleans Hornets fans need to get used to seeing this from their new star Eric Gordon.

Gordon joined the team in the Chris Paul trade.

The New-Look Knicks

Carmelo Anthony joined Amar'e Stoudemire and the New York Knicks in 2011.

Big things are expected from this All-Star duo in New York for many years to come.

A Hair-Raising Picture

This Warriors dancer was caught with her hair up during a dance routine in a game in January of this year.

A Scoring Champ

Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder shows off the athleticism that helped him become the NBA scoring leader for the second year in a row.

Superman

Dwight Howard flies in for the dunk.

He played for the Orlando Magic in 2011. Which team will he be playing for at the end of 2012?

A Nasty Dunk

Philadelphia 76er Andre Iguodala showed off his dunking skills in a game against the New York Knicks.

Long Range

Jared Dudley of the Phoenix Suns wants to make sure that everyone in the arena knows how many points he just made on his long-range shot.

A Legend Calls It a Career

Shaquille O'Neal played the last season of his career in 2011 with the Boston Celtics.

It is only a matter of waiting the required five years until he is inducted into the Hall of Fame.

A Sad Farewell

This is one of the last pictures of the playing days of Portland Trail Blazer Brandon Roy.

Roy unfortunately had to cut his All-Star career short due to injuries and retired in 2011.

A New Face

The Sacramento Kings acquired Jimmer Fredette in a draft-day trade. He is expected to shoot and score like he did in college at BYU.

So far, he is off to a good start.

A Classic Shot

How many times have we seen San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili drive and throw up a shot like this that goes in?

Rising Star

DeMar DeRozan gave the Toronto Raptors a reason to be happy in 2011. The athletic third-year player is set to have a breakout season and help the Raptors to a better record.

A Short Marriage

It doesn't look like Kim Kardashian was very happy with Kris Humphries even before they got married.

The Challenge

Utah Jazz guard C.J. Miles finds a way to get the ball around Andrew Bynum and get his shot up for two points.

The End of an Era

Jerry Sloan, the longtime head coach of the Utah Jazz, retired in the middle of the season last year.

He was the longest-tenured head coach in all four major sports and holds the record for the most wins with one team.

Running into a Wall

Washington Wizards star John Wall ran into some trouble on this drive and ended up shooting this fadeaway shot against the Atlanta Hawks.